Wind Turbines anyone??

Sooooo....Apparently these wind turbines are UFO collision threats...Poor little aliens...

Wind turbine mystery may be linked to Guardian | UK news | The Guardian

 

India? Germany? Nope!...Everybody knows that everything on this planet is made in China!...even the Chinese!...

 

Wow! Wind turbines are BAD for the environment and climate! First they knock down innocent aliens, and now damage the climate!
Take them all down and put up some new shiny nuke plants and oil refineries! Protect the planet!!!....


BBC News - Wind farms can affect local weather patterns

 

I wonder what the "scientists" discover next? Solar panels eating up ozone? Earth batteries swallowing small children? Tesla MT destabilizing Earth core? Joule Thief causes new wild hog flu? ...

 

Hello,

Is this topic still active, I have many questions about wind turbines and possible turbine failures.

 

Wind turbine questions are always welcome here. Ask away as Ghrit said.

 

Hey Quigley, do you often find yourself with nose bleeds ? LOL

 

Ok then, let's start.
I work as a risk engineer for Allianz Insurance, in Turkey.
I'm responsible from the western part of the country. Those areas are really suitable for wind energy installations but due to high project funding and some government limitations wind farms aren't that much developed in Turkey, but it is a fast growing business. Enercon has its blade production plant in Izmir, Turkey. Other brands have maintenance teams.

Until now I prepared risk analysis reports for Enercon (E44 - E48 - E82), Vestas V90, Nordex N90, GE 2.5MW models. I visited more than 15 sites, some of them were operating, some of them were on commissioning phase. Suzlon and Gamesa is planning to enter Turkish market but I didn't have the chance to visit their site. I also climbed an Enercon E82 tower recently. It was a great experience to see the equipment alive. Anyway, these reports are not in the detail I wish. It is difficult for us to obtain information from the customer other than the foundation detail, tower detail and the data sheet of the turbine, grid connection details etc. For instance we can't receive the operation logs of a specific turbine to analyze possible failure causes. Because companies are not willing to supply that information to us most of the time. The more they give to more the premiums increase, therefore they supply only if there has been a major error such as rupture on a blade or gearbox failure.

My questions start from that point, I'm capable of understanding the technology and the systems used in different brands but I have to analyze in detail the possiblity of machinery breakdown causes and possible loss of profit scenarios to determine the EML and PML ratios and amounts in EUR or USD which is critical in our business.

1. Based on my experience the Enercon models are less riskier than the other brands (Nordex, Vestas, GE) I saw because of the direct drive system vs. gearbox fitted models. Do you agree ? What are the pros and cons of different brands ?
2. Some turbines have their transformers below the entering area (like GE 2.5MW) what kind of disadvantages does this situation create in terms of maintenance, repair or possible fire risk due to oil inside the transformer ?
3. If you a have a few hours on the site for risk analysis of a specific wind farm what are the critical points that must be checked ? Can it be checked visually or do I need specific equipments ?
4. I need reports or summarized information prepared by insurance loss adjusters, I have several reports prepared by Turkish officials but the errors are mostly because of foundation problems. Problems because of the concrete used or misapplication on site. Therefore it is not satisfactory for me. For instance what are the possible causes of yaw drive or pitch drive system malfunction ? Is this a frequent error for any brand in the market ? What are the critical claims that can arise for insurance companies ?
5. Anemometer is a critical equipment in my opinion, it has different types but the ones I saw are ultrasonic cup anemometer, combined with the control system it is a governing system for any brand and a critical equipment. What are the maintenance and control procedures for these equipments ? What is the latest technology for that equipment ?

Those are my first questions, I see the wind turbines like a toothpick. Very useful for us but easy to break. I had this idea after reading so many articles about gearbox failures and seeing gearbox cemetary pictures on the net.
I will try to write more in the upcoming days, hope you can help me on this issue, thanks in advance.